In recent time, specifically, since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, it seems there has been an exponentially growing divide in political opinion. Major news sources, such as Fox News, CNN, and many more, have even more strongly divided to represent opposing sides of the political spectrum. This has led to an unhealthy amount of bias, sensationalism, and the overall destruction of good journalism. Although our country provides the rights of the First Amendment, news should not be biased strictly because a news publication or channel conforms to the ideals of a liberal or conservative audience. Thus, the effects of political opinion in journalism has led to a massive, unhealthy divide in our country and destroyed the true importance of journalism.

Sensationalism, the use of diction to create interest at the expense of accuracy, is not a new idea. To begin, the penny presses of the early 1800s made newspapers accessible to almost all of society. Before the invention, newspapers cost six cents per copy. The penny press, as stated by its name, made the cost only one cent. Sensationalism began to appear due to the change in audience. Originally, newspapers were only for wealthy, elite people. After this invention, the general public had access to newspapers. The lower class had less of a need to accurately understand politics and economy, so the precision of news became an after-thought. Similar to what is happening in our world today, the accuracy of the news not as important as getting a point across.

Political opinion expressed by publications is portrayed through the author’s word-choice. To begin, the opposing views of news sources force American people to choose sides. English Teacher Roseanne Mitchell was willing to share her view on the power of diction by a writer. She confidently stated, “Words have power, whether they have the power to manipulate or educate, they can certainly influence the meaning of the article.” If a news article is titled “Prime-time Trump Faces Credibility Crisis,” then it is biased. This was the headline for an article written by senior reporter Stephen Collison of CNN. Collison has worked for CNN, MSN, Business Insider, Medium, and more. CNN is one of the most highly watched and read news sources in the world. The network has over 72 million followers on Facebook and Twitter combined. Collison and CNN were well-aware of the bias in merely the headline alone, but it was easily pushed out for the world to see. If this article was an opinion article, it would be appropriate. Mitchell commented on this headline: “Here’s the problem I think we’re having with the news and newspaper; sometimes when I’m reading an article or I’m watching the T.V., I’m not even sure if it’s news or an opinion.” If I was looking for a news article, this headline calling President Trump “prime-time” would lead me to believe it is an opinion.

Political disunity is a growing issue in America, primarily caused by division in news. Should everyone agree on everything? No. Is healthy conversation about what is right or wrong needed? Absolutely. The key word there is healthy, meaning no yelling, competing, or malice in the discussion. The American people have chosen sides, rather than choosing right and wrong. This is strongly influenced by the stance taken by popular news sources. Fox News is a conservative source. Sophomore Jillian Albergo said, “Fox News is the only news channel on in my house.” The same goes for my house. Americans are very focused on who they are listening to, rather than what they are listening to. The opposite side of the spectrum is represented by CNN. Junior Haydan Bloomberg commented, “I tend to notice that CNN is completely against Trump.” News sources find it more important to turn someone for or against the President than it is to provide the people with good journalism. If someone does not want to watch either Fox News or CNN, it is difficult to find mainstream options for unbiased news, so for many, it seems the only option is to choose a side because almost every publication is either right or left.

Overall, political opinion has turned into political corruption. Who cares if one is liberal or conservative? The news is news. Facts are facts. Get to the point rather than trying to sway the reader before providing news. Journalism has been infected by the beliefs of specific publications. Political opinion has divided communities, states, and most importantly the United States of America. Quality journalism has been replaced by getting readers to believe one thing or another.  Bias is quickly destroying news, and I do not see it slowing down anytime soon.